Hi! I know nothing about VCs, but would be interested in seeing pictures of actual ones (too hard for a novice to plow through the staggering amount of repros online). Also, are you allowed to own them?

 

Thanks!

Elizabeth

Yes, you can legally own an original VC. Does anybody here have one? HIGHLY doubtful. VC's when they go to auction are a minimum of $75,000. Some have gone for over $700,000. They are simply the most expensive medals....ever.

 

-Ski

 

Here, this will cure of any hopes of landing one.....

http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/aaauctio.htm

Here, this will cure of any hopes of landing one.....

http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/aaauctio.htm

 

Thanks for sharing this link. Fascinating reading about the stories behind those VC's, and amazing the price they brought!

Here is a copy I got in the early 90's in a long-gone antique store near here. From what I remember the owner said a Canadian brought this group of medals in. I am no expert on British militaria, but I bought what he had mainly because I just liked it. There is no engraving. Cheers, Jim

Here is the back...

There are many in private collections. The most famous is the collection of Lord Ashby, a British politician who has been collecting them since the 1980s. He owns 162 VCs (!!!). I think most (if not all) of them are on loan to the Imperial War Museum. VCs periodically come up for auction at wildly high prices and are bought by rich collectors like Ashby.

 

Medal collecting (and the quality and diversity of medals) in the UK is far more serious than here in the US.

The closest I have ever had to an original VC was a copy that was engraved to a VC award winner from the Canadian campaign in the 19th Century. I got it in a trade with an old British friend of mine, a WWII vet, and the "story" was that the medal may have been an original copy issued to the guy. The medal looked quite old and had a "C" stamped on the obverse. Now, it is true that official replacements had the "C" stamp in them, so this could have been the real thing. The story may well have been true, but when I showed the medal to a highly experienced medal dealer, he mentioned the issue of provenance. He liked the engraving and the patina, but without some provenance, it was impossible to absolutely verify it was original. I ended up trading it back to the guy I got it from. Unfortunately, he had already sold or traded the medals I gave him so I had to take what he had. My OBE was one of the results. Still 50/50 on it to this day but I would still be up in the air......

 

-Ski

When looking at the prices of VCs sold consider our U.S. Medal of Honor which under current U.S. law may NOT be sold. There have been 1358 Victoria Crosses awarded and 3522 Medals of Honor. There is no law in the U.K prohibiting the sale of a VC as it is considered the property of the recipient or his descendents. Go figure!

I would imagine if you had one and tried to sell it, it would attract a lot of attention.

£1.5million (nearly $2million for our American cousins) for Captain Noel Chavasse's VC and bar Royal army medical corp

 

First awarding citation

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty (Guillemont, France)

During an attack he tended the wounded in the open all day, under heavy fire, frequently in view of the enemy. During the ensuing night he searched for wounded on the ground in front of the enemy's lines for four hours.

Next day he took one stretcher-bearer to the advanced trenches, and under heavy shell fire carried an urgent case for 500 yards into safety, being wounded in the side by a shell splinter during the journey.

The same night he took up a party of twenty volunteers, rescued three wounded men from a shell hole twenty-five yards from the enemy's trench, buried the bodies of two officers, and collected many identity discs, although fired on by bombs and machine guns.

Altogether he saved the lives of some twenty badly wounded men, besides the ordinary cases which passed through his hands. His courage and self-sacrifice were beyond praise.

 

Second awarding citation

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty (Wieltje, France)

Though severely wounded early in the action whilst carrying a wounded soldier to the Dressing Station, Captain Chavasse refused to leave his post, and for two days not only continued to perform his duties, but in addition went out repeatedly under heavy fire to search for and attend to the wounded who were lying out.

During these searches, although practically without food during this period, worn with fatigue and faint with his wound, he assisted to carry in a number of badly wounded men, over heavy and difficult ground.

By his extraordinary energy and inspiring example, he was instrumental in rescuing many wounded who would have otherwise undoubtedly succumbed under the bad weather conditions. This devoted and gallant officer subsequently died of his wounds

Thanks for sharing! I had heard of a few of the expensive ones, but all I knew were museum ones, so I wondered if you could actually own them as an individual. So cool! I had no idea that so few were awarded! Really an amazing thing!

Here is a V.C. I've owned for many years. It is named to Captain-Surgeon A. Martin- Leake South African Constabulary and dated Feby. 8, 1902. Awarded for Valour in the Boer War, Leake received a second V.C. during WWI. This is a beautifully struck medal with fantastic engraving. It has no brooch. And - wait for it - it is engraved "COPY" on the bottom of the lower arm. Many years ago during a trip to London, I brought it in to the firm of Hancock, the only maker of the V.C. to see if it was one of theirs. It was not made by them. . When I acquired it, it was stated, without provenance, that this was a wearing copy that had belonged to Captain Leake. I believe his medals are in the R.A.M.C. museum. Sorry for the pic quality - best I could do. This medal us the closest I've become to owning one of these great decorations. Bobgee

 

 

Heres an item in my own collection to VC/DSO recipient from the royal tank regiment Lieutenant colonel Henry Foote

Some countries have laws prohibiting the exportation of Victoria Crosses. While a private collector can own a VC in Australia, be can't take it out of the country.

The cheapest I have seen a Victoria Cross is £150k, but recent ones I have seen with a decent story behind them have gone for £500-600k.

I am not expecting to ever own a genuine one, but at one point I might buy a copy of Noel Chavasse's WWI VC and bar group as I went to the same school as him in Liverpool (obviously many years later!). There is one for sale on Ebay at the moment.....

Rob